Unmanned aerial vehicle search and rescue system

ABSTRACT

A search and rescue drone system includes a buoyant body member, a frame attached to the buoyant body member for carrying a motor and propeller, and an electronic array including a camera, GPS, an EPIRB radio distress beacon, and a transmitter/receiver for remote control flying the drone and communicating with an operator. A laser guidance system may provide coordinates for landing near a swimmer in distress. The search and rescue drone may also be programmed to simply fly to the location of an electronic wearable device, like a bracelet, that is worn by a man overboard. In another embodiment, the search and rescue drone includes pivoting motor mounts, so that it can take off and land vertically with propellers rotating in a horizontal plane, and then the propellers may pivot to rotate in a vertical plane for propulsion across water similar to a fan boat with rescued people aboard.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. applicationSer. No. 16/045,137 entitled Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Search and RescueSystem, filed on Jul. 25, 2018. All of the foregoing applications arehereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Unmanned aerial vehicles (hereinafter “UAVs” or “drones”) are becomingubiquitous, and are increasingly being deployed for many different usesand tasks. Recently, UAVs have been used by lifeguards at beaches tomonitor swimmers, and in one case, a UAV was equipped with a mechanismfor dropping a life preserver to save a swimmer in distress. Along thoselines, UAVs may be particularly helpful in man-overboard situations,along with other swimmer-in-distress events. There are many reportedcases of people disappearing from cruise ships, and in such an event, aUAV is highly useful for conducting search and rescue operations becauseit can be quickly and easily deployed directly from the ship, provides abird's eye view over a large area, and can quickly cover large distancesin a short period of time. A search and rescue drone could be used oncommercial fishing vessels and other types of boats and ships,particularly including those that routinely operate in bad weatherconditions. In a man overboard situation, time is critical, especiallyin colder waters, where life expectancy may be around 15 minutes beforehypothermia and even death occurs. Thus, the ability to deploy a searchand rescue drone to quickly locate and provide assistance to a swimmerin distress could mean the difference between life and death.

Efforts are underway to develop UAVs specifically for search and rescueoperations, particularly involving water rescue operations. Thefollowing references show several examples of such development effortsfor UAVs, and these references are incorporated herein by reference, intheir entireties:

US Application Publication No. US20150066248—Unmanned Vehicle Searches

A method of planning a flight path for a search can include receiving,by a control system, an indication of a search area boundary; receiving,by the control system, an indication of a selected search pattern;determining, by the control system, a flight path based on the searcharea boundary and the selected search pattern; and transmitting one ormore indications of the flight path to an unmanned aerial vehicle.

US Application Publication No. US20160340006—Unmanned Aerial VehicleSystem and Methods for Use

A drone equipped with a camera, a wireless communication module, anacoustic sensor, a GPS receiver, software and collapsible floatationdevice patrols above swimmers. The camera and acoustic sensor capturethe video and audio of the swimmers. The information is either streamedto a command center or processed by the onboard software. With audio andvideo analysis capabilities, software is used to detect a swimmer indistress (SID). Alternatively the information is streamed to lifeguardor volunteers all over the world to spot SID.

Another detection method is to let a swimmer wear a wearable emergencynotification device, which sends wireless signals comprising GPSlocation data. A SID presses a button to indicate rescue request and thedrones fly over by GPS signal guidance. Solar power is used as theoptional power source of the drones, which would allow the to sustainoperation for a prolonged period of time. Once a SID is identified, thedrone or drones fly over the SID and drops the collapsible floatationdevice.

US Application Publication No. US20170088261—Search and Rescue UAVSystem and Method

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) having at least one sensor fordetecting the presence of a survivor in a search and rescue area. The atleast one sensor is preferably an ultra-wide band (UWB) transceiversensor. The UAV includes a UAV data link transceiver for wirelesslycommunicating information concerning the survivor to a command center.

US Application Publication No. US20170210451—Drone-Type LifesavingEquipment Dropping Device

A drone-type lifesaving equipment dropping device including: an unmannedaerial vehicle (2) having a propeller (4) and a rotor (3) configured torotate the propeller; a holding member (10) which is installed to theunmanned aerial vehicle (2) and configured to be operated by wirelesscontrol; and a lifesaving equipment which is detachably engaged to theholding member (10) and is dropped from the holding member (10) afterthe lifesaving equipment is disengaged from the holding member.

Although each of the above-referenced systems is useful for search andrescue operations, and several of these systems may be used to deliver aflotation device or life preserver, none of the prior referencesdiscloses a UAV that is buoyant so that the UAV is, itself, a flotationdevice to assist a swimmer in distress (SID). Therefore, it would bedesirable to provide a UAV that serves as a mobile life preserver, whichis capable of landing on water and taking off from water, and whichincludes electronics for determining its position and transmitting anSOS signal, similarly to an emergency position-indicating radio beacon(EPIRB). Further, it would be advantageous, in man overboard types ofsituations, to provide the search and rescue drone with flashing lights,a spotlight, a camera and other sensors for locating a swimmer indistress, along with the capability for the UAV to autonomously flyalong the same path (in reverse) that the boat was traveling when theman overboard situation occurred. Additionally, it would be advantageousto provide an electronic wearable device having the capability tocommunicate with the search and rescue drone, so that the drone mayautonomously track the wearable device and fly to its location in anemergency situation.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, one embodiment of asearch and rescue drone includes a buoyant body member, a frame attachedto the buoyant body member for carrying a motor and propeller, and anelectronic array including a camera, GPS, an EPIRB, and a transmitter,receiver for manually flying the drone and communicating with anoperator.

The search and rescue drone may be flown manually, or may have someautonomous flight and locator capabilities. For example, in oneembodiment, the search and rescue drone may be programmed to simply flyto the location of an electronic wearable device, like a bracelet, thatis worn by a person on a boat. The wearable device may be automaticallyactivated upon immersion in water, or may be manually activated (bypressing a button on the device, or by giving voice commands, forinstance), but in either circumstance, the activation of the wearabledevice triggers the search and rescue drone to automatically fly to thelocation of the wearable device and land nearby, so that the SID mayhold onto it for purposes of flotation. Preferably, the search andrescue drone is equipped with flashing strobe lights or other emergencylights that are used as a visual signal for help to get the attention ofa search and rescue party. Also, the EPIRB on board transmits a distresssignal, along with GPS coordinates of its present location, when thesearch and rescue drone lands in the water.

In another embodiment, the search and rescue drone includes a basket,harness, or other means for actually recovering a swimmer in distress,and flying that person back to a ship or to shore. In this embodiment,the drone may either land in the water so that a swimmer in distress mayclimb aboard, or the drone may lower a basket or harness down to theswimmer while the drone hovers overhead. In either embodiment, the dronemay be equipped with a button or other means for indicating that theswimmer is safely aboard the basket or is engaged within the harness,which then triggers the drone to fly the swimmer back to safety.

When used on board a boat or ship, the search and rescue drone may beprogrammed to execute a specific search pattern, which may includeflying to a designated altitude and following the same path, in reverse,that the boat was traveling when the man-overboard event occurred. Theonboard GPS unit may either do its own tracking while the boat isunderway, so that it is always tracking its own position and has thatinformation available when deployed in an emergency, or the system mayinclude a communications link with the GPS system on board the ship sothat the search and rescue drone may query the shipboard GPS to obtainthat information.

In another embodiment, the search and rescue drone may include two mainparts: the flying portion and the floating portion. The flying portionpreferably includes a frame, the motor and propeller, camera(s),flashing lights, a spotlight (optionally) and a transmitter/receiver forsending and receiving communications. The floating portion is used as alife preserver, and preferably includes an EPIRB to transmit an SOSmessage, along with GPS coordinates. In this embodiment, the drone mayland on the water as a single unit, and then separate so that the flyingportion can hover overhead while displaying the flashing lights,spotlight (if necessary), and acting as a communications booster byrelaying and broadcasting the EPIRB signal to potential rescuers.

Alternatively, after locating the swimmer in distress, the drone mayseparate in the air by disconnecting itself from the floating portion,so that the floating portion drops to the water near the swimmer. It ispreferred that the EPIRB remain with the floating portion (and theswimmer) rather than the flying portion, because if the flying portionthen crashes, runs out of fuel or electricity, or otherwise becomesseparated from the swimmer, the EPIRB continues to broadcast the SOSsignal from the swimmer's location.

Other embodiments include simpler versions, where the rescue dronesimply a flying life preserver, wherein the main body member is buoyant,and motors and propellers are positioned within holes defined by themain body member. These types of rescue drones are typically used bybeach lifeguards, and the like, and operate via remote control. If alifeguard sees a swimmer in distress, then he or she can simply launchthe flying life preserver and land it adjacent the swimmer in distressfor flotation until help arrives.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the presentinvention will become better understood with regard to the followingdescription, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a lifesaving unmannedaerial vehicle, having a generally rectangular body member that isbuoyant, a series of handle members disposed about the body member forgrasping and carrying, and a plurality of motors and propellers disposedwithin holes defined by the body member;

FIG. 2A is a side view of another embodiment of a lifesaving unmannedaerial vehicle, including a floating portion, a frame, a series ofmotors and propellers, an EPIRB, a camera, downwardly pointing floodlights and a pair of strobe lights, and further including a dockingstation that also serves to recharge the on-board batteries;

FIG. 2B is a side view of the embodiment of a lifesaving unmanned aerialvehicle as shown in FIG. 2A, wherein the vehicle is shown in a dockedposition with the docking station for storage, transport, andrecharging;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a lifesavingunmanned aerial vehicle, wherein the body member is formed into theshape of a ring, and the motors and propellers are disposed within holesdefined by the body member;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a lifesavingunmanned aerial vehicle, wherein the vehicle includes a winch attachedon an underside thereof, with a cable extending downwardly to a harnessthat is attached to a basket for transporting a person from the water tosafety;

FIG. 5 is a side view of an alternate embodiment of a lifesavingunmanned aerial vehicle, showing a removable remote control carried bythe main body member, and further illustrating the buoyant main bodymember separated from the frame of the drone, so that a swimmer indistress may use the main body member for flotation while flying therescue drone via the remote control;

FIG. 6 is a side view of an alternate embodiment of a lifesavingunmanned aerial vehicle having a net disposed within the buoyant mainbody member for carrying a person, and showing a wearable device that isin communication with the rescue drone for purposes of locating aswimmer in distress;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of another alternate embodiment of alifesaving unmanned aerial vehicle showing an inflatable boat having aframe attached to an upper portion thereof, and further including fourpropellers that rotate between a horizontal plane and a vertical plane;

FIG. 8 is a side view of the alternate embodiment of the lifesavingunmanned aerial vehicle shown in FIG. 7, and further illustrating thepropellers rotating in a generally horizontal plane; and

FIG. 9 is a side view of the alternate embodiment of the lifesavingunmanned aerial vehicle shown in FIG. 7 and further illustrating thepropellers rotating in a generally vertical plane.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Flying Life Ring

The present invention, in a first embodiment, includes a lifesavingunmanned aerial vehicle 10 (also referred to herein as a ‘rescue drone’or ‘search and rescue drone’) comprising a main body member 12 that isbuoyant, and defines a series of vertically oriented holes 14 therein,as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 (a ‘flying life ring’ embodiment). Motors 16and propellers 18 are disposed within the holes 14 of the main bodymember 12, which allows the main body member 12 to fly. Theseembodiments may simply be flown to the location of a swimmer in distress(SID), and may land on the water to serve as a life preserver until theSID can be rescued by a boat, helicopter, or by other means of rescue.Handles 20 may be disposed about the rescue drone 10, as shown in FIG.1, for purposes of holding onto the drone 10 in the water, and forcarrying the drone 10 by hand.

A solar powered recharging station may be employed for charging thedrone batteries. In a preferred embodiment, the recharging stationincludes solar panels and/or solar energy collecting devices forcapturing solar energy, and further includes a battery. The solar panelsare used to keep the battery charged, and the battery charges the drone.Other types of solar chargers are known in the art, and any suitable onemay be used.

Laser Coordinate Identification Control System

In another embodiment, the flying life ring rescue drone 10 (and otherembodiments discussed herein) may also include a laser sensor that candetect the distal end of a laser beam from a laser pointer. In otherwords, if a lifeguard points a laser pointer at a spot where he wishesthe flying life ring to land, the laser sensor detects the end of thelaser beam reflecting from the target object or spot, and the flyinglife ring can simply navigate itself to land on that spot. Itessentially follows the laser beam, when that mode is activated.

In another embodiment, a GPS enabled laser-based range finder 100(similar to those currently available for golfers, marksmen, and thelike) may be used to ‘paint the target’ and determine the exactcoordinates at the end of the laser beam.

This system allows any personnel with virtually no training to control,launch and deliver the rescue drone to a distressed party in any body ofwater. The simple to use guidance and control system creates theopportunity for those without pilot experience to launch and direct therescue drone to the party in need.

Using components similar to those found in high end GPS based laserrange finders primarily used in golf and marksman applications such asthe Bushnell Hybrid Laser Rangefinder+GPS, the responding personnelemploy a handheld optical unit. This unit, appearing similar to aMonoscope, or singular telescope, may be used to select the spot wherethe rescue drone assistance is required. Once the target location isidentified, the user pushes an initiation sequence on a button on theoptical unit. This initiates a wireless communication between thehandheld optical unit and the rescue drone control station, or directlyto the rescue drone, itself. In one embodiment, the station incorporatesa processing device (small form factor computer such as an IBM NUC) tocontrol the rescue drone and transceiver radio for communications,monitoring and redirection of the rescue drone. The station receives thecommunication from the handheld optical devices, including specificcoordinate information of the target site. The control stationautomatically creates a mission and uploads the flight information tothe rescue drone. Takeoff is initiated and the rescue drone flies to thetarget site as a predetermined altitude. The rescue drone then descendsat a predetermined rate and lands at the target for floatation andcontinued identification of position. Any time the operator pushed thebutton again the new coordinate information is uploaded to the rescuedrone.

The GPS feature allows the laser range finder 100 to know its ownlocation, and the laser range finder may also detect the precisedirection in which the laser beam is pointed. Combining that informationalong with the range or distance to the target location, the systemcalculates the coordinates of the target location and transmits thatinformation (either directly, or through a separate rescue dronestation) to the rescue drone for execution.

Such a laser range finder 100 may include a transmitter to communicatewith an onboard computer or programmable logic device carried by therescue drone 10. Essentially, a lifeguard points the laser of the rangefinder to the target landing spot in close proximity to a swimmer indistress, and the range finder calculates the GPS coordinates of thetarget point and transmits that information to the rescue drone, whichmay autonomously fly to the target spot for landing. This system mayrefresh itself over very short time intervals, so that the calculationsare happening repeatedly, and obviously change as the laser beam movesin real time, so that the rescue drone 10 is constantly being updatedwith current coordinates for a target spot. Thereby, the rescue drone 10simply chases the laser dot and lands on the target spot, even if thetarget spot moves somewhat while the rescue drone 10 is en route to thetarget spot. One example of a GPS enabled, laser-based range finder isthe Hybrid Rangefinder+GPS, manufactured and sold by Bushnell.

It should be understood that the rescue drone 10 may be programmed toperform in different ways. For instance, the rescue drone 10 can beprogrammed to simply fly to the target spot and land, or the rescuedrone 10 may be programmed to stop and hover over the spot at apredetermined altitude for a brief time period, or until it receives a‘land’ command from the user or operator. Other target landing flightand navigation protocols may be developed and programmed, as desired.

In use, if a lifeguard sees a swimmer in distress, then he or she maylaunch the drone, and point the laser pointer at a spot on the water inclose proximity to the swimmer in distress. The flying life ring (or anyof the other versions of the rescue drone 10 discussed herein) simplyfollows the laser beam to the spot where the laser beam is pointed,preferably in an autonomous manner. This arrangement allows a floatationdevice to be delivered very quickly to a swimmer in distress, at preciselocations, with an easy-to-use interface—a laser pointer or GPS enabledlaser-based range finder. Additionally, such a technique requires verylittle training for a lifeguard to operate.

Alternatively, and particularly on the larger, more sophisticatedversions of the search and rescue drone discussed herein, a laserpointer or laser-based range-finder may be mounted on the rescue drone10 itself, and operated by an operator viewing real-time camera footagefrom the drone 10. This feature allows a remote user to simply point thelaser where he or she wishes the rescue drone 10 to land, and the drone10 may navigate itself in the most efficient manner to that spot.

Search and Rescue

Another embodiment of the present invention is a rescue drone 10 thatpreferably includes a floating portion 12 (or “main body member”), aframe 42 connected to the floating portion 12, wherein the frame 42includes outwardly extending arms, each carrying a motor 16 andpropeller 18, and further including a camera 22, a transmitter/receiverfor receiving flight instructions and transmitting information back toan operator, lights 24 for assistance with rescue operations, and anEPIRB radio beacon 26 for transmitting an SOS call for help along withlocation coordinates, as shown in FIGS. 2A, 2B, 5 and 6. Additionally,the rescue drone 10 may further include an onboard computing device forcontrolling the above-referenced components, either via remote control60 or autonomously based on installed programming. In this embodiment,the floating portion 12 is preferably positioned on a bottom portion ofthe drone 10, and may serve as a flotation device for a swimmer indistress (SID). The lights 24 may include flashing strobe lights ofdifferent colors, for attracting the attention of rescuers who aresearching for the SID and the drone itself. Additionally, the drone maybe equipped with spotlights 24 used during search and rescue operationsto illuminate the area that is being searched, or which may be used toilluminate the SID for various purposes.

In use, the rescue drone 10 is launched when it has been determined thatthere is a SID in the area, and the drone 10 may be operated manually byan operator using a remote control device 60 to fly and navigate, or therescue drone 10 may be used in autonomous mode, so that it is capable offlying itself in a specific search pattern. For manual flight, therescue drone 10 operates like currently available drones, which may beflown by simple visual operation (watching the drone itself directly),or by viewing the feed from the camera 22 positioned on the drone (as ifthe drone operator were in a virtual ‘cockpit’ of an aircraft). In thelatter case, the operator may use a video screen, goggles, or any othersuitable video screen type of component.

For autonomous flight, the rescue drone 10 may be programmed to fly andnavigate in many different ways. First, the drone 10 may simply beprogrammed to execute a standard search pattern. Alternatively, if usedon a boat or ship, the rescue drone may follow the GPS “breadcrumbtrail,” which is essentially the path that the boat or ship has taken upto that point in time, but in the reverse direction, which isparticularly useful in man-overboard situations. In this way, the droneitself may be programmed to track the movement of the ship in order toestablish the breadcrumb trail, or that information may be transmittedfrom another GPS device onboard the boat or otherwise. Another option,if multiple drones 10 are used, is to program them to work in concertwith one another, so that each drone is programmed to cover a particulararea or direction, and so that the drones 10 are not searching the samearea as another drone 10, in order to optimize the amount of areacovered as quickly as possible during a search and rescue operation.

It is also contemplated that the rescue drone 10 may include infra-redor thermal sensors (which may be part of the camera 22, or may beseparate from the camera 22), in order to identify people in the waterthrough their heat signatures. Obviously, a live person in the waterwill have a higher temperature than the surrounding water, so infra-redor thermal sensors or cameras may be used to help identify SIDs. Anotheroption is to provide the rescue drone 10 with software that recognizespatterns, and also recognizes disruptions in patterns, such the patternsof waves in the water, which are disrupted by a SID. Any of thesemethods may be used to autonomously identify a SID, which may generatean alert to a human operator, who may then either confirm that therescue drone 10 has found the SID, or may confirm that the objectidentified is not a SID, or may take over control of the drone 10 inorder to investigate further. Alternatively, the drone 10 may simply beprogrammed to land near the SID without human intervention, ifnecessary.

Wearable Devices

It is also contemplated that the rescue drone 10 may receive a signal,including location information, from a device worn or carried by aperson. Such a device could take many forms, including a cell phone, asmart watch (Apple Watch, for instance), a bracelet or necklace, or anyother device that includes either an RFID chip or necessary electronicsand transmitter for sending a signal to the rescue drone 10. For thesepurposes, the transmitter device will be referred to as a transmitterbracelet 50, as shown in FIG. 6, and it should be understood that atransmitter bracelet, for these purposes, encompasses any wearabledevice that transmits a signal or communicates in any way with therescue drone to provide a rescue location or coordinates. Thetransmitter bracelet 50 may be worn by dockhands on a fishing boat, crewand/or passengers on a cruise ship, or others onboard a boat, and may beactivated either automatically in a man-overboard situation, or may beactivated manually. Activation of the transmitter bracelet 50 preferablyalerts the boat captain and crew of the man-overboard situation, andcauses the rescue drone 10 to automatically deploy and follow thetransmitter bracelet 50 signal to the location of the SID.Alternatively, the rescue drone 10 may be launched manually in such asituation.

In one embodiment, the rescue drone 10 mates with a docking basecharging station 28 when not in use, or when in ‘standby mode,’ as shownin FIGS. 2A and 2B. The charging station 28 is preferably connected to apower source, and serves as a charger for the rescue drone 10, so thatthe rescue drone 10 stays charged and ready to be deployed at all times.In one embodiment, the charging station 28 may be in the shape of a cone(as shown), so that the rescue drone 10 may automatically fly back andland on the charging station 28 without human intervention, althoughother shapes may be used. The cone shape allows the rescue drone 10 todescend down top of the charging station 28 so that the round floatingportion 12 may be guided by the shape of the cone until the chargingsurfaces 30 are connected between the drone 10 and the charging station28. This arrangement also allows the drone 10 to be deployed directlyfrom the charging station 28 in an emergency, so that the drone 10simply launches upwardly until it clears the top of the charging station28 and then begins its search or navigation mission.

In use, the rescue drone 10 either searches for a SID, or flies directlyto the location of the transmitter bracelet 50. Upon arrival at thelocation of the SID, the rescue drone 10 may land close to the SID, sothat the SID may use the rescue drone 10 as a flotation device.Additionally, the rescue drone 10 may activate its lights 24 in order toassist rescuers in finding the SID, and may further activate the EPIRB26, which sends a distress signal out on an emergency frequency, alongwith location information. These actions may be automated, or may betaken manually by a human operator.

Rescue Drones for Carrying Passengers

In another embodiment, the rescue drone 10 includes a basket 32,harness, or other means for actually recovering a swimmer in distress,and flying that person back to a ship or to shore, as shown in FIG. 4.In this embodiment, the drone 10 may either land in the water so that aswimmer in distress may climb aboard, or the drone 10 may lower a basket32 or harness down to the swimmer while the drone 10 hovers overhead. Ineither embodiment, the drone 10 may be equipped with a button 36 orother means for indicating that the swimmer is safely aboard the basket32 or is engaged within the harness, which then triggers the drone 10 tofly the swimmer back to safety. Alternatively, this operation may becarried out manually by a human operator using a remote control device60, which may be a dedicated device, a smart phone, a computer, atablet, or any other suitable remote control device 60. In thisembodiment, the basket 32 or harness may be attached to a cable 38 andwinch 40 system, similarly to those deployed on rescue helicopters usedby the Coast Guard and the military.

For autonomous operation of any embodiment disclosed herein, the rescuedrone 10 may include an on-board computing device to execute programmedoperations, including navigation and flight, identification of objectsin the water, sending and receiving information, landing, activatinglights 24 and the EPIRB 26, and returning to the boat, charging station28, or other place of origin. The rescue drone 10 may also record camerafootage and/or sensor readings from a full mission, and may transmitthat data in real time, or may simply record it for access and downloadlater. In one embodiment, the rescue drone 10 may also carry a remotecontrol (tablet style computing device), or an array including amicrophone, speaker, and/or video screen for audio and/or videocommunications between a human operator (rescuer) and the SID. Forinstance, the rescue drone 10 may employ a small screen, similar to thescreen of a smart phone, allowing a SID to communicate the droneoperator or rescuer (simlilarly to Apple's popular FaceTimeapplication), which is useful for allowing the rescuer to ascertain themedical condition of the SID. This arrangement allows the rescuer to beprepared with appropriate medical supplies to deal with the specificissues and ailments that the SID is suffering from. Additionally, in thecase of a boat accident or other incident where there may be wreckage,fire, oil floating in the water, or other dangers, the SID cancommunicate that information through the audio/video transmissioncomponents on the rescue drone.

Additionally, it is contemplated that the onboard computing device 70,which may be roughly the size and shape of a smart phone or tablet, mayserve as a remote control and be detachable from the drone, so that aSID may use the onboard computing device 70 to operate the rescue dronein the case of a prolonged rescue situation, as shown in FIG. 5. Forexample, if the SID is out of communication range with rescuers for anyreason, he or she may detach the onboard computer 70 to launch the drone10 from the water. The rescue drone 10 may possibly increase itstransmission range by ascending to a higher altitude. Additionally, theSID may also be able to view the camera feed from the drone 10 via theonboard computing device/remote control, and if he sees a watercraft inthe distance, may send the drone 10 in that direction to establishcommunication and request assistance. Or, if the SID is in the water atnight, he may wish to simply launch the rescue drone 10 and activate thelights 24 while maintaining physical contact the floating portion 12,allowing the drone 10 to hover overhead, in order to direct the rescuersto his position in darkness, similarly to launching a flare. In apreferred embodiment, the onboard computer/remote control 70 fits into acradle that is positioned on the rescue drone, and the cradle isoperationally connected to an onboard battery. In this way, the onboardcomputer 70 may recharge itself when it is positioned within the cradle.

The rescue drone 10 may also include solar panels positioned on an upperside thereof, which may be used to charge or recharge the rescue dronebattery or batteries. It should be understood that, although differentembodiments have been described herein, any of the components andfeatures described in a particular embodiment may be used on or inconnection with any other embodiment described herein.

In yet another embodiment of the rescue drone 10, the floating portion12 (which is used as a flotation device for a SID) may be detachable(either remotely, or manually) from the frame 42 of the rescue drone 10,so that the rescue drone 10 may either land on water and subsequentlyseparate, if necessary, or so that the floating portion 12 may bedetached during flight and dropped to a SID. In this embodiment, asshown in FIG. 5, it is contemplated that the EPIRB 26 is attached to thefloating portion 12, in order to direct rescuers to the SID in ascenario where the rescue drone 10 becomes separated from the floatingportion 12 and the SID. Further, in this embodiment, the onboardcomputer/remote control 70 may also be attached to the floating portion12, so that the SID is able to operate the rescue drone 10 from thewater, if necessary. One advantage to this arrangement is that the SIDhas a flotation device while the drone 10 is at a higher altitude andserving as a communications relay between rescuers and the SID. In somesituations, the SID may be in the water with the floating portion 12,and the drone 10 may be hovering overhead with lights 24 flashing,transmitting an emergency distress signal, and shining a spotlight 24down on the SID.

Yet another embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 6,wherein the floating portion 12 includes a net 80 or other supportsurface for supporting and carrying a rescued swimmer in distress. Inthis embodiment, the swimmer in distress simply climbs aboard the rescuedrone and sits on the net 80, and the rescue drone may fly the rescuedswimmer to the boat, to shore, or to some other designated safety area.

Rescue Drone/Fanboat

FIGS. 7-9 show another alternate embodiment of a lifesaving unmannedaerial vehicle, a rescue drone/fanboat. In this embodiment, the mainbody member 12 is preferably in the form of an inflatable watercrafthaving a floor and a transom, although any suitable boat or buoyantstructure may be used. A frame member is attached to the inflatablewatercraft, and other electronic components may be attached to theframe, including strobe lights and general purpose lights, a GPS, atransmitter/receiver, and the like. The watercraft may also include acompartment or dry-box for mounting other types of electronics, and/orfor storage of survival gear, water, flares, a remote control, or anyother types of cargo. Handles or a safety line may be attached at anydesirable place on the watercraft or the frame. In a preferredembodiment, a safety line is attached along the sides of the watercraft,as shown in FIGS. 7-9.

The frame also carries pivoting mounts 104 for four propellers 18,wherein the pivoting mounts 104 are preferably powered for automatedrotation. The pivoting mounts 104 may pivot in the range from 90 degreesto 360 degrees, as desired. The pivoting mounts 104 allow the propellers18 to rotate from a horizontal plane to a vertical plane. Thisembodiment is designed to take off and land vertically, while thepropellers 18 rotate in a generally horizontal plane. The propellers 18are preferably disposed within a cage 106 or other similar type ofdevice, in order to allow air to pass through efficiently, and alsoreduce the likelihood of accidents where the propeller 18 might comeinto violent contact with wreckage, debris, a human extremity, or thelike.

In use, the search and rescue drone 10 of FIGS. 7-9 launches vertically,flies to a SID, and lands on the water nearby in a vertical manner.After the SID has boarded, and is safely within the watercraft, thepropellers 18 rotate by roughly 90 degrees, so that they are pushing airtoward the rear of the watercraft or main body member 12. At this point,the watercraft essentially becomes a fan boat, because the propellers 18are propelling the watercraft carrying the SID forward by blowing air ina backward direction. This arrangement also allows the search and rescuedrone 10 to carry smaller motors for rotating the propellers 18, whencompared to other versions that lift SIDs out of the water and fly themto safety, because the motors are not required to lift the extra weightof a person or people out of the water.

It is contemplated that the search and rescue drone/fanboat 10 may bedesigned to carry a single passenger or multiple passengers, and thisversion of the invention may carry or be equipped with any of the otherfeatures or components that are discussed elsewhere herein.

Any of the above-referenced embodiments may include other features, aswell, including a waterproof or water-resistant hatch 44 on the floatingportion that opens to reveal a storage compartment 46 that may be usedto store rescue supplies, such as water, food, reflective gear,flashlights, an inflatable raft, a survival suit, or any other suppliesthat may be helpful to a swimmer in distress. Additionally, it should beunderstood that the motors described herein may be powered byelectricity, gasoline, diesel, hydrogen, natural gas, propane, or anyother suitable method.

Although the present invention has been described in considerable detailwith reference to certain preferred versions thereof, other versions arepossible. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims shouldnot be limited to the description of the preferred versions containedherein. All features disclosed in this specification may be replaced byalternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose,unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly statedotherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a genericseries of equivalent or similar features.

What is claimed is:
 1. A lifesaving unmanned aerial vehicle systemcomprising: a main body member that is buoyant, and a plurality ofmotors and propellers attached to said main body member; a receivercarried by said main body member, said receiver being operationallyconnected to said motors; an on-board computing device connected to saidreceiver for receiving information from said receiver, and for executingcommands sent by said user; and a laser range-finder having atransmitter in communication with said receiver, wherein said laserrange finder emits a laser beam toward an object, determines thelocation of said object, and transmits coordinates of said objectlocation to said receiver, and wherein said on board computer executesnavigational and operational commands based on said coordinates, so thatsaid lifesaving unmanned aerial vehicle flies to and lands at saidcoordinates.
 2. The lifesaving unmanned aerial vehicle system set forthin claim 1, further including at least one light attached to said mainbody member.
 3. The lifesaving unmanned aerial vehicle system set forthin claim 1, further including a storage compartment carried by said mainbody member for transporting survival supplies to a swimmer in distress.4. The lifesaving unmanned aerial vehicle system set forth in claim 1,wherein an on board EPIRB radio beacon is carried by said main bodymember.